Accelerator pedal module

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an accelerator pedal module for controlling the power of a driving engine having a pedal lever which is retained rotatably about a pivot axis on a bearing block and which actuates a sensor shaft of a rotation sensor, the sensor shaft being coaxial with the pivot axis. At least a part of the sensor shaft is directly supported rotatably in a bearing bore of a bearing region that is integral with the bearing block, of which bearing region at least a part of the radially outer circumferential surface forms at least one bearing face for the pedal lever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention is directed to an improved accelerator pedal module forcontrolling the power of a driving engine, in particular an internalcombustion engine of a vehicle, having a pedal lever which is retainedrotatably about a pivot axis on a bearing block and which actuates asensor shaft of a rotation sensor, the sensor shaft being coaxial withthe pivot axis.

2. Description of the Prior Art

One known accelerator pedal module is described in German Patent DE 19531 735 C1. In the known accelerator pedal, a transducer shaft of therotation sensor is rotatably supported in a slide bush that is retainedwithin a bearing bush. Loops of two cables are disposed in turn betweenthe bearing bush and a radially inner circumferential wall of a bearingbore of the pedal lever and are coupled with reverse-tension springsthat serve to restore the pedal lever to an idling position. However,this arrangement is complex and expensive to produce. Moreover, a numberof parting seams subject to variation occur between the componentsinserted radially into one another, which adversely affects the rigidityof the bearing of the transducer shaft and hence also the measurementaccuracy of the rotation sensor.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, it is proposed that at least a part of thesensor shaft be directly supported rotatably in a bearing bore of abearing region that is integral with the bearing block, of which bearingregion at least a part of the radially outer circumferential surfaceforms at least one bearing face for the pedal lever. The phrase“directly supported rotatably” is intended to mean a direct contact ofthe sensor shaft and the bearing bore, that is, without theinterposition of bushes. Then, because only a single parting seam ispresent, a rigid rotational bearing is obtained, so that bearing errorsand in particular angular errors of the sensor shaft are reduced. Sincethe sensor shaft represents the mechanical transmission member of thetravel information, predetermined by the pedal lever, to the electricalpart of the rotation sensor, this provision has a favorable effect onthe measurement accuracy of the rotation sensor. Moreover, therotational bearing of the sensor shaft can be manufactured simply andeconomically, because it comprises only two parts, namely the sensorshaft and the bearing region of the bearing block. Embodying the bearingregion integrally with the bearing block also contributes to loweringproduction costs and increasing the rigidity of the bearing, becauseparting seams, which yield and tend to vary, are absent.

In a preferred way, the bearing region is formed by a hollow peg of thebearing block, the hollow peg being coaxial with the pivot axis. Becausethe hollow peg, by means of its bearing bore, furnishes a radially innerbearing face for directly bearing the sensor shaft and at the same timea radially outer bearing face for supporting the pedal lever, itadvantageously performs a cost-saving dual function.

In a refinement, a plurality of partly cylindrical bearing faces ofdifferent diameter are embodied on the radially outer circumferentialsurface of the hollow peg, which are associated with complementarybearing faces of the pedal lever that are coaxial with the pivot axisand are partly cylindrical. Because of the graduated embodiment of thebearing faces, a lateral guidance of the pedal lever on the bearingblock that is favorable in terms of the bearing rigidity is obtained.

In a preferred provision, a restoring spring system for restoring thepedal lever to an idling position tenses the bearing faces of the pedallever against the bearing faces of the bearing block. As a result, africtional moment acting counter to the actuation direction of the pedallever is generated in the bearing faces and has a favorable effect onthe road feel because of the actuation resistance. Because the restoringspring system at the same time takes over the retention function forretaining the pedal lever on the bearing block, the number of componentsof the accelerator pedal module is advantageously kept low.

A refinement provides that the pedal lever is guided between two cheeksthat are integral with the bearing block. With this provision, besidesthe lateral guidance by the graduated bearing faces, an additionallateral guidance of the pedal lever on the bearing block is provided,further improving the rigidity of the bearing.

In an especially preferred way, the sensor shaft is rotationally coupleddirectly to the pedal lever by means of at least one driver protrudingradially through a wall of the hollow peg; the driver is embodiedintegrally with either the pedal lever or the sensor shaft. Once again,this makes for an only small number of components.

In a refinement, one end of the sensor shaft is rotatably supported inthe bearing bore of the hollow peg, and the other end of the sensorshaft is rotatably supported in a sensor housing that is fixed on thebearing block. Then the hollow peg of the bearing block has a slot, opentoward the sensor housing, for the lateral introduction of the driver.

Preferably, the driver is formed by a driver pin, which is embraced withprestressing in a recess in the pedal lever or in the bearing block.This is realized for instance by providing that the recess is formed bya blind bore, whose cross section is slightly smaller than the crosssection of the driver pin, and at least one side wall of the blind boreis elastically deformable upon introduction of the driver pin. Becauseof the prestressing, this connection is very rigid, resulting in aplay-free transmission of the motion of the pedal lever to the sensorshaft. Because the restoring spring system for restoring the pedal levertenses the bearing faces of the pedal lever against the bearing faces ofthe bearing block, the driver is also tensed in the radial directioninto the receptacle at the same time, and because additional retainingand connecting elements between the driver and the pedal lever andbetween the driver and the bearing block are dispensed with, the effortand expense of assembly are greatly reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and further objects andadvantages thereof will become more apparent from the ensuing detaileddescription of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with thedrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pedal lever and a bearing block, asessential parts of a preferred embodiment of an accelerator pedal moduleaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pedal lever mounted on the bearingblock, the bearing block being shown in a section taken along the lineII-II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the accelerator pedal module taken alongthe line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a further embodiment of the acceleratorpedal module;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line V-V in FIG.4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line VI-VI inFIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section through the accelerator pedal module ofFIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The accelerator pedal module of the invention is used for controlling adriving engine, preferably an internal combustion engine of a motorvehicle, whose throttle valve is adjustable by a control motor. In thatcase, the accelerator pedal module serves to generate electrical signalsfor the control motor, so that the engine power can be controlled as afunction of the position of an accelerator pedal of the acceleratorpedal module. However, the driving engine can also for instance be anelectric motor that is triggered by electrical signals.

The accelerator pedal module 1 is foot-actuated by the motor vehicle'sdriver and as shown in FIG. 1 includes a pedal lever 2, which preferablyis the gas pedal actuated directly by the driver's foot. Alternatively,the pedal lever 2 can be a lever of a lever mechanism or rod linkagemechanism that includes additional levers and is coupled to the gaspedal. The accelerator pedal module 1 also includes a bearing block 4 asa retention structure for the pedal lever 2, and this block canpreferably be secured directly in the foot area of the driver by meansof screw eyes 8 protruding laterally from a bottom plate 6 of thebearing block. Further elements contained in the accelerator pedalmodule 1 are a sensor and restoring spring elements, not shown in FIG. 1for the sake of simplicity. In addition, the accelerator pedal module 1can be provided with a kick-down mechanism for an automatic transmissionof the motor vehicle, a mechanism as described for instance in GermanPatent Disclosure DE 195 36 699 A1.

As can be seen from the upper part of FIG. 1, the bearing block 4includes two cheeks 14, joined together, at the ends pointing away fromthe bottom plate 6, by a crossbar 12, which cheeks are disposed parallelwith transverse spacing and protrude at a right angle away from thebottom plate 6. The cheeks 14 are also joined to one another by means ofan end plate 16 that likewise protrudes away from the bottom plate 6 ata right angle. The crossbar 12, on its lower face pointing toward thebottom plate 6, has a central bearing face 18, in the form of anapproximately semicylindrical face of an imaginary cylinder, whosecenter axis corresponds to a pivot axis 20, shown in FIG. 2, of a pivotconnection between the pedal lever 2 and the bearing block 4. Toward thecheeks, the crossbar 12 also has two bearing faces 22, which areenlarged in diameter compared to the central bearing face 18 and arelikewise formed approximately by semicylindrical faces. All the bearingfaces 18, 22 point toward the bottom plate 6 of the bearing block 4.Transversely to the pivot axis 20, that is, viewed longitudinally of thebearing block 4, there is, next to each edge of the bearing faces 22 ofthe cheeks, a respective introduction slot 24 leading to a respectiveannular groove 26, which is defined on one side by the larger-diameterbearing face 22 and on the other by a further, opposed, circular-arclikebearing face 28 that is coaxial with the pivot axis 20.

In a region of the cheeks 14 located at a distance from the bearingfaces 18, 22, 28, there are two bearing block stops, opposite oneanother and pointing toward one another and protruding in the directionof the pivot axis 20, which are preferably in the form of wedges 30,with wedge faces 32, extending approximately radially to the pivot axis20, that on their maximally protruding wedge end each form oneprotruding step 34 relative to the rest of the cheek surface. Because ofthe perspective view, only one of the wedges 30 can be seen in FIG. 1.In one of the cheeks 14 of the bearing block, there is also a furtherintroduction slot 36, which opens into a partially circular-arclikeopening 38 of the corresponding cheek 14. Adjacent to the partiallycircular opening 38 in the cheek 14, there is a holder for a sensorhousing of the sensor, preferably in the form of pegs 40 which protrudeoutward at a right angle and have central blind bores for receivingscrews.

As can be best seen from FIG. 2, the bottom plate 6, in a region that interms of the longitudinal direction of the bearing block 4 is locatedbetween the pivot axis 20 and the bearing block stops 30 (shown in FIG.1), there is a holder for the restoring spring elements 10, which ispreferably embodied as a peg 42. The restoring spring elements, embodiedfor instance as helical springs inserted one inside the other, areslipped onto the peg 42 and centered on it. The bearing block 4 ispreferably embodied as a one-piece plastic injection-molded part; thatis, all the elements described thus far, such as the bottom plate 6, endplate 16, cheeks 14, crossbar 12, and in particular the bearing blockstops 30, together form one integral component.

The pedal lever 2 shown in the lower part of FIG. 1 has a lever body 44,which on its free end has a foot plate 46 and, on a pedal lever head 48,it has bearing faces, which cooperate with the bearing faces 18, 22, 28of the bearing block 4 and contain a central, concave bearing face 50.The bearing face 50 is preferably formed by a number of ribs 52,parallel to one another with transverse spacing, whose end facestogether form approximately a semicylindrical surface with a diameterthat is approximately equivalent to the diameter of the central bearingface 18 of the bearing block 4. The central bearing face 50 of the pedallever 2 is disposed between coaxial annular portions 54, which protrudeaway from both side faces of the lever body 44 and each extend overapproximately a semicircular arc, and whose radially innercircumferential surfaces form bearing faces. The annular portions 54, ina direction that is radial to the pivot axis 20, have a thickness whichis equivalent to the inside diameter of the annular groove 26 of thebearing block 4.

A peglike driver 56 also protrudes transversely outward away from thepedal lever head 48 and for instance engages a rotary lever, not shown,of a wiper ring of a potentiometer retained in the sensor housing; inthe present case, the potentiometer for instance forms the sensor. In aregion of the lever body disposed between the bearing faces 50, 54 andthe foot plate 46, a pedal lever stop is present on each of the two sidefaces, preferably in the form of a stop edge 58, which defines a region60 that is retracted in the direction of the pivot axis 20. Theretracted region 60 has a dimension longitudinally that is approximatelyequivalent to the actuation travel of the pedal lever 2 and that extendsapproximately radially relative to the pivot axis 20. The width of thepedal lever 2 in the area surrounding the retracted region 60 isapproximately equivalent to the transverse spacing of the two cheeks 14of the bearing block 4. The pedal lever 2 is preferably embodied as aone-piece plastic injection-molded part; that is, all the elementsdescribed thus far, such as the foot plate 46, the bearing faces 50, 54,the driver 56, the retracted regions 60, and in particular the pedallever stops 58 together form one integral component.

For producing the pivot connection between the pedal lever 2 and thebearing block 4, the annular portions 54 that are present on the pedallever head 48 are introduced via the introduction slots 24 into theassociated annular grooves 26, and the driver 56 is introduced into thefurther introduction slot 36. The pedal lever 2 is then rotated onwardby some distance relative to the bearing block 4, or vice versa, aboutthe pivot axis 20, as a result of which both the central and the outerbearing faces 18 and 50, and 22, 28 and 54, respectively, on the pedallever 2 and on the bearing block 4, and the side faces on the pedallever 2 and on the cheeks 14 of the bearing block 4 all come intosliding contact with one another. The result is a positive engagement,which permits a rotation of the pedal lever 2 only relative to thebearing block 4 about the pivot axis 20; particularly because of the twopairs 26, 54 of annular portions and annular grooves, the pedal lever 2is guided in compulsory fashion and braced. Before that, the restoringspring elements 10 are placed on the one hand on the peg 42 in thebottom plate 6 of the bearing block 4 and on the other on a peg of thepedal lever 2 opposite it in the mounting position, the latter peg notbeing visible in the drawings.

In general, in the region of the pedal lever stop 58 and/or the bearingblock stop 30, there are elasticities such that during the relativerotary motion, executed about the pivot axis 20, between the pedal lever2 and the bearing block 4 to establish the pivot connection, the pedallever stop 58 slides past the bearing block stop 30 as a result ofelastic deformations and after springing back engages the bearing blockstop from behind. Since in the present case the width of the pedal lever2 is approximately equivalent to the spacing of the two cheeks 14, andthe wedges 30, functioning as bearing block stops, must be passed by thestop edges 58 of the pedal lever in the course of the relative rotationin order to establish the pivot connection, the walls of the cheeks 14are double in the region of the wedges 30, and therefore have hollowspaces 62, as shown in FIG. 3. Thin strips 64, which are separated byslots from the rest of the wall, are also formed onto the wedges 30. Asa result, because of elastic deformations of the strips 64, the wedges30 can escape back into the hollow spaces 62, when the stop edges 58slide along the wedge faces 32 that gradually widen in the direction ofthe relative rotary motion that is intended to establish the pivotconnection. Consequently, the elastic deformation of the cheeks 14 takesplace primarily in the locally defined region of the strips 64, far fromthe bearing faces 18, 22, 28, and 50, 54, respectively, of the pivotconnection.

Since the pedal lever 2 is guided in compulsory fashion on the bearingblock 4, particularly by the pairs 26, 54 of annular portions andannular grooves, and cannot execute any other motion than a rotationabout the pivot axis 20, it is advantageously braced and cannot deflectin other directions. The part that comes into engagement first with theannular grooves 26 during the insertion of the annular portions 54 ofthe pedal lever 2 into the introduction slots 24 of the bearing block 4consequently functions initially as a compulsory guide to facilitateassembly in the overcoming of the forces dictated by the elasticdeformations. Consequently, the pedal lever 2 is already braced on thebearing block 4 by means of the bearing faces 18, 22, 28, and 50, 54,respectively, of the pivot connection before the pedal lever stops 58slide past the bearing block stops 30.

Instead of embodying only those regions formed onto the wedges 30elastically, the wedges 30 themselves and/or the stop edges 58 couldalso be embodied elastically. The only decisive factor is that thewedges 30 and stop edges be capable of moving past one another. Forinstance, spring-prestressed wedges 30 guided in the cheeks 14 andembodied as separate components are also conceivable.

Once the stop edges 58 have moved completely past the wedges 30 in thecourse of the further relative rotation, the wedges 30 emerge again fromthe hollow spaces 62 from springing back of the strips 64, and—in amanner similar to a snap closure—the steps 34 on the ends of the wedges30 engage the associated stop edges 58 from behind, and the wedges 30protrude with play into the laterally retracted regions 60, as shown inFIG. 3. Thus the pivot connection between the pedal lever 2 and thebearing block 4 is completed, and the pedal lever 2 can execute therequisite pivoting motions without hindrance. The restoring springelements 10 are pressed together during the relative rotary motioncompleted in the direction of the closing snap closure and exert arestoring force on the pedal lever 2. Once the snap connection has beencompleted, the steps 34 of the wedges 30 consequently strike the stopedges 58 in the opposite direction of rotation and assure a positiveengagement, which prevents the stop edges 58 from moving past theprotruding steps 34 of the wedges 30 again and undoing the pivotconnection that has once been made; this can easily be seen,particularly from the sectional view in FIG. 3. The snap closureconsequently forms one component of the pivot connection, without whichthe pivot connection could not be completed. If necessary, however, thepivot connection or snap closure can be undone again by spreading thetwo cheeks 14 of the bearing block apart, although in that case asuitable tool is needed. In the completely installed state, the pedallever stop 58 is consequently prestressed resiliently against thebearing block stop 30 counter to a pedal actuation direction, and thepedal lever stop 58 and the bearing block stop 30 together form anidling stop 66 of the accelerator pedal module 1, so that the pedallever 2 is in the idling position, in the position shown in FIG. 3.

A full-load stop 68 of the accelerator pedal module 1 has a planeportion 70 of the bottom plate 6, toward the bearing block 4, which isopposite a portion 72 of the pedal lever 2 that projects slightlydownward; the portion 70 contacts the portion 72 when the pedal lever 2has been fully depressed, as can easily be understood from FIG. 2. Theretracted regions 60 of the pedal lever have a length, viewed in thecircumferential direction of the rotary motion, which encompasses theentire pedal lever motion between the idling stop 66 and the full-loadstop 68. Moreover, by actuation of the pedal lever 2, the driver 56 ismoved along the partly circular-arclike opening 38 of the cheek 14 ofthe bearing block 4 and in the course of this motion carries the rotarylever of the wiper ring of the potentiometer with it, whereupon thepotentiometer generates electrical signals for the engine control unitthat are dependent on the pedal actuation travel.

From the above explanation, it is clear that the pivot connectionbetween the pedal lever 2 and the bearing block 4 comes about by meansof a single rotary motion about a pivot axis 20, and this pivotingmotion simultaneously furnishes the snap closure that functionssimultaneously as an idling stop 66.

In the second exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 4-6,the elements that remain the same and function the same as in the aboveexample are identified by the same reference numerals. In a distinctionfrom the first embodiment, the central bearing face of the bearing block4 is formed by the radially outer circumferential surface 74 of a hollowpeg 78 that is coaxial with the pivot axis 20 of the pivot connectionand that is retained on a protrusion 80 protruding upward and away fromthe bottom plate 6, as can be best seen in FIG. 7. The hollow peg 78extends between the cheeks 14 of the bearing block 4 and is freelyaccessible from above (FIG. 4) without being covered by a transversewall. As in the exemplary embodiment described above, wedges 30 pointingtoward one another are disposed on the cheeks 14, remote from thebearing face formed by the hollow peg 78. In the region of the wedges30, the cheeks 14 have a relatively slight wall thickness, so that thereis lateral resilience.

Besides the hollow peg 78, two further bearing faces are embodied on thebearing block 4, in the form of partly cylindrical faces 82 of largerdiameter, only one of which is visible in FIG. 4, that each adjoin theassociated cheek 14. A holder, in the form of a centering peg 84, forrestoring spring elements 10, comprising two helical springs insertedinto one another, is embodied in the crossbar 12 that in terms of thebearing block stops 30 is disposed on the far side of the hollow peg 78,and the ends of the helical springs are received on this peg 84, as FIG.7 shows.

It can also be seen from FIG. 7 that the cylindrical pedal lever head 48has a recess 86, which opens into a total of three, for instance, partlycylindrical bearing faces that are coaxial with the pivot axis 20. Thesebearing faces include a central bearing face 88 of the same diameter asthe hollow peg 78, as well as one further bearing face 90 of greaterdiameter on each of their ends in terms of the axial direction; thislatter diameter is equivalent to the diameter of the two outer bearingfaces 82 of the bearing block 4. The pedal lever head 48 is alsoprovided with an extension 92, extending in the longitudinal directionof the pedal lever, which has a holder for the restoring spring elements10, which is in the form of a further centering peg 94, as best seen inFIG. 7. The laterally retracted region 60 of the pedal lever 2, which isdefined by the stop edge 58, is also visible in FIG. 4.

For producing the pivot connection, the pedal lever 2 is placed with itsthree partly cylindrical bearing faces 88, 90 on the associated bearingfaces 74, 82 of the bearing block 4, via the radial recess 86.Simultaneously, the restoring spring elements 10 are placed on thecentering pegs 84, 94, which requires that the restoring spring elementsbe compressed. The compressive force generated because of the change inlength of the restoring spring elements 10 assures that the pedal lever2 is retained on the bearing block 4 and that the respective bearingfaces 88, 90 and 74, 82 associated with one another are prestressedagainst one another. The stop edges 58 of the pedal lever 2 are in aposition in which they have not yet moved past the wedges 30. From thatposition, the pedal lever 2 is now rotated counterclockwise, in terms ofthe view in FIG. 6, and the stop edges 58 slide along the ascendingwedge faces 32 of the wedges 30, and the cheeks 14 deflect outward withelastic deformation. Once the stop edges 58 have moved past the steps 34of the wedges 30, the cheeks 14 spring back inward, and the stop edges58 engage the steps 34 of the wedges 30 from behind, as described in thepreceding exemplary embodiment. The stop edges 58, together with theassociated wedges 30, also form both the idling stop 66 of theaccelerator pedal module 1 and a snap closure of the pivot connectionthat has come about because of the rotary motion. In FIG. 5, a wedge 96can also be seen, which protrudes laterally away from the extension 92of the pedal lever head 48 and strikes a stop, not shown, of the bearingblock 4, in the full-load position of the pedal lever 2, and which assoon as the pedal lever 2 has been placed on the bearing block 4 isalready in its working position without requiring a relative rotarymotion for that purpose. The wedge 96 on the pedal lever 2 and theassociated stop on the bearing block 4 together therefore form afull-load stop of the accelerator pedal module.

In both embodiments, the restoring spring elements 10 tense the bearingfaces 18, 22, 50, 54 (FIGS. 1-3) and 74, 82, 88, 90 (FIGS. 4-7) that areassociated with one another. Consequently, a frictional moment orientedcounter to the actuation motion occurs in the pivot bearing, and thismoment depends, among other factors, on the coefficient of friction ofthe bearing faces and on the diameter of the bearing faces. As a result,as in accelerator pedals with purely mechanical transmission means, africtional hysteresis is generated, which has an advantageous effect onthe road feel. Preferably, at least one of the bearing faces 18, 22, 50,54 (FIGS. 1-3) and 74, 82, 88, 90 (FIGS. 4-7) are provided with asuitable friction lining, which can for instance be done in theproduction of the injection-molded part by placement in the mold, sothat the friction lining is already integrated with the bearing face 18,22, 50, 54 (FIGS. 1-3) and 74, 82, 88, 90 (FIGS. 4-7). Then theaccelerator pedal module 1 of the embodiments described above comprisesa total of only four different components, namely the pedal lever 2, thebearing block 4, the sensor 102, and the restoring spring elements 10.

The peg embodied as a hollow peg 78 is embodied integrally with thebearing block 4 and in particular with its bottom plate 6 and has abearing bore 98, which is coaxial with the pivot axis 20, for a sensorshaft 100 of a rotation sensor 102, embodied preferably as a rotarypotentiometer, in the form of a blind bore in which at least part of thesensor shaft 100 is directly supported rotatably, that is, without theinterposition of bearing bushes, as can be seen from FIG. 7.Consequently, the axis of rotation of the sensor is coaxial with thepivot axis 20 of the pivot connection between the pedal lever 2 and thebearing block 4. Preferably, one end portion 104 of the sensor shaft 100is received in the bearing bore 98, while the other end portion 106 ofthe sensor shaft 100 is rotatably supported in a sensor housing 108,secured to the bearing block 4 for instance by means of screws on theassociated holder 40, as best seen in the exploded view of FIG. 4.

The sensor shaft 100 rotatably supported inside the hollow peg 78 andthe pedal lever head 48 rotatably supported on the hollow peg 78 aredirectly coupled for rotation to one another by a driver 110, in orderto transmit the rotary motions of the pedal lever 2 to the sensor shaft100 essentially without play and in linear fashion. This can be achievedfor instance by providing that a driver pin 110, protruding radiallyaway from the sensor shaft 100, protrudes through a slot 112 in the wallof the hollow peg 78 and is received directly in a recess 114 in thecentral bearing face 88 of the pedal lever head 48. The slot 112 has alength in the circumferential direction that allows an unhindered motionof the pedal lever 2 between the idling stop 66 and the full-load stop.To enable the sensor lever 118 to be inserted laterally into the bearingbore 98 of the hollow peg 78 despite the driver pin 110 protrudingradially away from it, the slot 112 extends in the direction of thepivot axis 20 as far as the end of the hollow peg 78 that is locatedopposite the sensor housing 108. Moreover, the cheek 14 of the bearingblock 4 pointing toward the sensor housing 108 has a through hole 116that is coaxial with the sensor shaft 100, so that by simple lateralinsertion into the bearing bore 98, the sensor shaft 100 can beinstalled with simultaneous alignment of the driver pin 110 with theslot 112.

Protruding away from the sensor shaft 100 is a sensor lever 118, whichis preferably integral with the sensor shaft and which is provided onits free end with wiper contacts 122 of a wiper 124 that are orientedtoward a sensor plate 120. By rotation of the wiper 124 relative to thesensor plate 120, continuously variable resistance values can be set ina known manner.

The cross section of the driver pin 110 is preferably widened somewhatat its head 126, compared to its part that protrudes through the slot112 of the wall of the hollow peg 78, with the head 126 engaging therecess 114 in the central bearing face 88 of the pedal lever head 48.This recess is preferably embodied by a radially extending blind bore114, whose cross section is somewhat smaller than the cross section ofthe head 126 of the driver pin 110. The driver pin 110 is embraced inthe recess 114 with prestressing whenever at least one side wall, forinstance, of the blind bore 114 is capable of deforming elastically uponinsertion of the driver pin 110. In the present case, two side walls,facing one another, of the blind bore 114 are double, forming one hollowspace 128 each, as FIG. 7 shows. Then the side wall, which is preferablyembodied as thin, of the blind bore 114 can yield laterally with elasticdeformation, when the head 126, of widened cross section, of the driverpin 110 is inserted. It is understood that the driver pin 110 can beconnected to the pedal lever 2 instead of to the sensor shaft 100 andcan preferably be embodied integrally with it and received in a recessembodied in the sensor shaft 100.

The foregoing relates to preferred exemplary embodiments of theinvention, it being understood that other variants and embodimentsthereof are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, thelatter being defined by the appended claims.

1. An accelerator pedal module (1) for controlling the power of adriving engine comprising, a bearing block (4) embodied as a one-piecemolded part comprising a bearing region having a bearing bore (98) andat least one bearing face (82), a pedal lever (2) retained rotatably onsaid at least one bearing face (82) and being coaxial with a pivot axis(20) on the bearing block (4), a rotation sensor (102) having a sensorshaft (100) actuated by the pedal lever (2), the sensor shaft beingcoaxial with the pivot axis (20), and at least a part (104) of thesensor shaft (100) being directly supported rotatably in the bearingbore (98) of the bearing region of the bearing block (4), wherein atleast part of a radial surface of said bearing region forms said atleast one bearing face (82) for the pedal lever (2), wherein the bearingregion is formed by a hollow peg (78) of the bearing block (4), thehollow peg being coaxial with the pivot axis (20) and further comprisingat least one additional partly cylindrical outer surface (74, 82) ofdifferent diameter embodied on the radially outer surface of the hollowpeg (78).
 2. The accelerator pedal module according to claim 1, furthercomprising complementary bearing faces (88, 90) of the pedal lever (2)that are coaxial with the pivot axis (20) and partly cylindrical, andare associated with the bearing faces (74, 82) of the hollow peg (78).3. The accelerator pedal module according to claim 2, further comprisinga restoring spring system (10) for restoring the pedal lever (2) to anidling position, the restoring spring system (10) tensing the bearingfaces (88, 90) of the pedal lever (2) against the bearing faces (74, 82)of the bearing block (4).
 4. The accelerator pedal module according toclaim 3, wherein the pedal lever (2) is guided between two cheeks (14)that are integral with the bearing block (4).
 5. The accelerator pedalmodule according to claim 4, wherein the sensor shaft (100) isrotationally coupled directly to the pedal lever (2) by means of atleast one driver (110) protruding radially through a wall of the hollowpeg (78).
 6. The accelerator pedal module according to claim 5, whereinone end (104) of the sensor shaft (100) is rotatably supported in thebearing bore (98) of the hollow peg (78), and the other end (106) of thesensor shaft is rotatably supported in a sensor housing (108) that isfixed on the bearing block (4).
 7. The accelerator pedal moduleaccording to claim 6, wherein the driver (110) is embodied integrallywith either the pedal lever (2) or the sensor shaft (100).
 8. Theaccelerator pedal module according to claim 7, wherein the hollow peg(78) of the bearing block (4) comprises a slot (112), open toward thesensor housing (108), for the lateral introduction of the driver (110).9. The accelerator pedal module according to claim 8, wherein the drivercomprises a driver pin (110), embraced in a recess (114) in the pedallever (2) or in the bearing block (4).
 10. The accelerator pedal moduleaccording to claim 9, wherein the recess is formed by a blind bore(114), whose cross section is smaller than the cross section of thedriver pin (110), at least one side wall of the blind bore beingelastically deformable upon introduction of the driver pin (110).